Method and means for blocking hats



Sept. 29, 1953 J. MASlNl METHOD AND MEANS FOR BLOCKING HATS Filed Aug.28, 1950 INVENTOR. JOSEPH MASINI ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 29, 1953 METHODAND MEANS FOR BLOCKING HATS Joseph Masini, Weehawken, N. J.,' assignorto Joseph Luckow, conducting business under the name of Victory HatBlock Company, New

York, N. Y.

Application August 28, 1950, Serial No. 181,752

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to the art of blocking hats andparticularly to a method and means for blocking a hat having a softraised portion, for example, a rolled or cable edge in a hydraulic hatpress.

Hats are formed from a hat blank of felt or other material on a block togive to such blank the general shape of the hat.

lhis generally shaped blank is then pressed in a hydraulic press betweena heated metal, usually aluminum, die and a corresponding male. diewhich is known as a rubber saddle and which is formed from rubber and acanvas jacket. This rubber saddle is subected to hydraulic pressure toforce the generally shaped blank against the heated metallic die to formthe hat.

Hats having a soft raised porton such as a rolled or cable edgeheretofore could not be blocked or shaped in a hydraulic press becauseprior to the method and means here proposed, the edge of this type ofhat under the pressure of the rubber saddle would be pressed into arelatively thin and hard edge or raised surface.

In the trade, therefore, hats with a soft rolled or cable edge or araised portion could not be hydrauliced to apply the term used in thetrade.

The present invention therefore contemplates the provision of a methodfor blocking a hat having 3 rolled or cable edge or a soft raised partin a hydraulic hat press, which hitherto could not satisfactorily beaccomplished.

The present invention further contemplates the provision of the meansfor practicing the method of the present invention and particularly theconstruction of the metallic female die and rubber saddle between whicha hat is shaped in a hydraulic press.

These, other and further objects and advantages' of the presentinvention will be clear from the description which follows and thedrawing appended thereto, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective front view ofa conventional hydraulic press in which my invention is practiced.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the metallic female die used in thepractice of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 3, the groove in the diebeing filled in.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation in partial section of a rubber saddle used inthe practice of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the metallic female die and rubbersaddle operatively mounted therein with a hat blank therebetween forshapin thereby.

Referring now to the drawing, a conventional hydraulic hat press,generally indicated by the reference numeral [0, is illustrated inFig. 1. It is unnecessary to describe in any great detail such ahydraulic hat press as it is well known in the art and forms no part ofmy invention except as a vehicle in which to practice it.

The female die 12 illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 preferably made of metalsuch as aluminum, is mounted in the saddle l4 seated in the bushing itof the hydraulic press.

The saddle l4, bushing 16 and the female metallic die [2 are heated inthe press in any satisfactory manner.

The blank [8 (see Fig. 5), from which the hat is to be formed, isgenerally shaped on a hat block (not illustrated or described as this isconventional) before it is mounted in the female die I2, which die isformed into the shape that the hat will be pressed into and assume inthe hydraulic hat press 10.

The female die I2 is provided with four vanes or guides 20 which areseated in the slots 22 in the saddle 14 to detachably mount the die inposition on the press.

In the conventional hydraulic press to describe the heretoforeconventional method, the female die l2 having the form of hat selectedis mounted, as aforesaid, in the bushing l6 and saddle l4 and acorresponding rubber saddle or male die, generally referred to by thereference numeral 24 (see Fig. 4), is formed therein from rubber 26,which is shaped to fit against the metallic die, and the canvas jacket28. Thus the rubber saddle is of exactly the same shape as that of theinterior of the female die.

The rubber saddle 24 is then mounted on the upper carrier 30 of thehydraulic press ID with the block 32 positioned in the interior 34 ofthe rubber saddle 24.

The hat blank I8 is seated in the interior 36 of the female die I2 thatforms the crown of the hat and the heated female die and the rubberSaddle are brought together in the press. The desired hydraulic pressureis applied to the rubber saddle and the parts held together in thehydraulic press for the desired time.

The steps and elements just described are conventional and a hat edge orraised portion will be flattened between the female die and rubbersaddle, thus making it impossible to form a rope hat or one with arolled or cable edge in a hydraulic press.

In order to provide a method and means for the practice thereof by whicha hat having a rolled or cable edge or a soft raised portion may beformed in a hydraulic press, I provide the groove 38 (see Fig. 2) in thefemale die I2 around the edge of the interior 36 in which the crown ofthe hat is formed.

As will be seen, when the hat is pressed between the female die I2 andthe rubber saddle 24, the rolled or cable edge 40 of the hat lies inthis groove 38.

Before the rubber 25 is formed into the desired shape for the rubbersaddle 24 in the female die I2 as aforesaid, I fill the groove 38 with arigid material 42 (see Fig. 3) such as plaster of Paris.

Thus, when the rubber part 26 of the male die or saddle is formed in thefemale die I 2, that part 44 thereof (see Fig. 4), between which and theledge 46 (see Fig. 3) of the female die I2 is formed, the brim 48 (seeFig. 5), bridges the groove 38 because it is filled with the plaster ofParis.

After the rubber part 26 of the hydraulic saddle is formed, it isremoved from the female die and made up into the male die 24 illustratedin Fig, 4 and the rigid material 42, plaster of Paris, is completelyremoved from the groove 38.

The blank I 8 is then mounted in the female die I2 with the rolled orcable edge 49 seated in the groove 38 and the rubber saddle insertedagainst the blank by the upper carrier 30 to form the hat in the press.

The brim forming portion 44 therefore will bridge the shoulders 50 and52 at the edges of the groove 38 to thereby prevent pressure from beingexerted against the rolled or cable edge 40, which lies in the groove 38of the metallic die I2, as the hat is hydrauliced in the press.

Thus, the rolled or cable edge, or any soft raised portion lying in acorresponding groove, will not be flattened but will remain soft and ofproper form and shape when the hat is made in a hydraulic press.

An raised portion of a hat may be relieved from pressures in thehydraulic press by using the method described of filling with materialthe groove for the raised portion in a die, making a 4 correspondingrubber saddle with the filled in groove of the die, removing the fillingmaterial from the groove and pressing a blank between the die and rubbersaddle to form a hat and by using the means for practicing the inventionwhich I have described.

While I have shown and described in detail a certain method for thepractice of my invention and the means for its accomplishment, it willbe understood that the method described and the means for its practiceare intended for illustration thereof and that changes may be madetherein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

Hence, I intend to claim my invention as broadly as permitted by theterms of the appended claim and the state of the prior art.

I claim:

For use in a hydraulic press of pressing a hat having a crown portionand a brim portion formed with a thickened outer rim, a female metallicdie having a portion to receive the crown of the hat, a portion toreceive the brim of the hat, said die being formed with a groove at theouter edge of said brim receiving portion to receive said thickened rim,said female die having a portion surrounding said groove and comprisinga continuation of the brim receiving portion, and a male saddle of softcompressible material comprising a portion to press the crown of the hatinto the crown receiving portion of the female die, a portion to pressthe brim of the hat against the brim receiving portion of the femaledie, a fiat portion bridging the groove for pressing the thickened outerrim of the hat into said groove, and a portion contacting the portion ofthe female die which surrounds said groove.

JOSEPH MASINI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,130,088 Kendall Mar. 2, 1915 2,110,739 Shildhaus Mar. 8,1938 2,466,272 Porter et al Apr, 5, 1949 2,495,402 Bensten Jan. 24, 1950

